Do You Need to Downsize?

By Scott Boone

Image courtesy of Wikimedia

Lately, I’ve been seeing a lot of media coverage for what is known as the Tiny House Movement.  This fad has been picking up steam for the past couple of years.  Where in years past, Americans have been hog wild about moving into ever larger houses, the trend lately has turned this concept on its head.  In fact, some people are now taking tiny houses to an extreme, by moving into dwellings that would have been considered backyard sheds in years past.  We’re talking houses with less than 500 square feet of living space.  Sometimes significantly less.  I’ve seen tiny homes as small as 300 square feet.  I have owned garages with more space than that.

How Low can you Go?

The problem with downsizing is you have to be able to do more with less.  Way less.  Think back to what it was like living in that college dorm room or your first efficiency apartment.  Back when you could pack everything you owned in a knapsack.  Back when you swore you’d never own more stuff than you could cram into your VW bus.  Sound familiar?

This reason I point this out is to remind you that when you consider downsizing, you need to factor in several things:

      1.      How much space do you and yours really need?

      2.      How many of your belongings are you prepared to jettison?

      3.      How small is too small?

Tiny is as Tiny Does

Image courtesy Wikimedia

While it’s all well and good to economize, there comes a time when you need to do a reality check.  For example, I have a friend who always dreamed about sailing around the world after he retired.  For years, he read cruising books and took sailing lessons.  He even bought a Catalina 25 to spend weekends afloat.  Eventually, he became an accomplished coastal cruiser.  That’s the good news.

The bad news is what worked for weekend jaunts in the local waterways, didn’t work so well when it came to taking his dream offshore.  After retiring, he graduated from a Catalina 25 to a Beneteau 38.  Granted, the boat was nearly twice as big and sported a full galley, shower with hot and cold water, and even air conditioning.  But he soon found that space aboard was somewhat cramped once he moved his wife and dog aboard. 

To make matters worse, while his wife supported his dream of ocean cruising, she wasn’t much of a sailor.  He found this out the hard way when they took an extended cruise from Florida to the Bahamas only to encounter stormy weather.  To make a long story short, when they returned to their home port, she gave him two choices: Either the wife or the boat. 

The Downsizing Dilemma

Image courtesy of Wikipedia

Just like my sailing buddy, if you decide to move from a 4-bedroom house to a 1-bedroom condo, there’s going to be a certain amount of adjustment to your lifestyle that needs to be accomplished. On top of that, there is also going to be an attitude adjustment necessitated by living in confined quarters.  (Most people factor in the first element only to be blindsided by the second.)

My point is, before you sell that McMansion and downsize too much smaller accommodations, you need to do like my buddy and perform a shakedown cruise to see if living small is going to work out for you and yours.  The best way to do that is to take an extended vacation in a home or condo of similar size.  Airbnb could be just the ticket to show how your family will fare in a smaller home.  By renting a small dwelling for a month, you will discover the ins and outs involved in sharing tight quarters.  You can also get a better bead on just how much space you and yours truly need.

Lightening the Load

Any way you slice it, downsizing is going to necessitate lightening the load.  Whether you are moving to a smaller home to economize, are tired of feathering an empty nest, or are simply ready to retire, the first thing you need to do before you move is to figure out what needs to go.  While you might have a sentimental attachment to that baby grand piano, if it isn’t going to fit into your condo, it will have to go.

Image courtesy of flickr

That goes for a lot of other things around your home.  On more than one occasion my moving crew has had to explain that a sofa or side by side refrigerator wouldn’t fit the space allotted to it.  Got a custom sectional sofa?  You’d best measure the available space in the condo you have your heart set on before you find it won’t fit the living room.  China cabinets and entertainment centers can also pose a problem if you haven’t taken the time to break out the tape measure.  Even vehicles such as SUVs, vans and large pickup trucks may or may not fit into the garage in a smaller home. 

Another shock for many who downsize is learning that closet and storage space is reduced proportionally to the size of a dwelling.  If your 3,000 square foot home comes equipped with walk-in closets, don’t expect that 1,200 square foot condo to do the same.  If your wife has a shoe collection that would have rivaled Imelda Marcos, she’s going to be shocked when she realizes her collection won’t fit the closet in your new residence. 

Another Man’s Treasure

As long as you do a reality check, and realize that not only will your dwelling be reduced in size, but the amount of belongings you can take with you will have to be cut back as well, this doesn’t have to be a bad thing.  Not when you factor in the amount of money you can reap in a garage sale and/or a private sale on craigslist.   As they say, one man’s trash is another’s treasure.  The one thing you can be sure of when downsizing is it’s one way to increase the size of your wallet.

With over 4,000 moves, Scott's Discount Movers has handled moves of all sizes, including local and cross country. If you are looking to move your home or office, you can depend on Scott's Discount Movers to provide a stress-free relocation.